Sorry, folks. Any reports claiming The Acolyte is officially returning just aren’t legit.
Tie-In Books Drop, But The Acolyte Isn’t Coming Back
What’s actually happening is that The Acolyte is getting a few tie-in books released this week, where, much like the series itself, no one will be buying them. But that doesn’t mean the show is coming back.
The Acolyte is one of the least-watched Star Wars shows on Disney+. It also tanked interest in Skeleton Crew, which isn’t getting a Season 2 either.
Fans Reject The Acolyte
The series received massive backlash from fans over its poor storyline. There aren’t many fans online asking for more, actually, it’s just the opposite. Most want nothing to do with The Acolyte.
It’s the lowest-rated Star Wars series on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 19% Audience Score. The lead actress also sparked a lot of controversy.
Even Disney Admits The Acolyte will not return
Even Disney has said The Acolyte isn’t returning.
“It wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season two. So that’s the reason why we didn’t do that,” admitted Alan Bergman, who serves as a co-chair of Disney Entertainment back in December.
Per the Disney exec’s words, The Acolyte was an expensive show to produce. Recently saw Andor creator Tony Gilroy offer up that Disney told him they’re broke. So, as I just went over, that means no more $200M+ shows.
Strong is the fan backlash To The Acolyte
“The entire plot is contrived and the actions of the main characters are absurd. This show really wants to make the Jedi out to be the bad guys,” states one fans review on Rotten Tomatoes. “It’s a shame because I have enjoyed the High Republic books…however the way they portray Vernestra in this series is completely counter to her character in the books. Did not really enjoy watching and would not watch again.”
Another adds The Acolyte is “made with a certain agenda in mine.”
“Forcing myself to keep watching this even when the bad reviews are everywhere,” says the fan. “As someone who’s been a Star Wars fan since childhood, I always try to stay hopeful with every new movie or series, even the ones with low ratings (like Episodes VII to IX). And after watching those three, I never really cared about what other people said—because honestly, I liked them.”
The fan continues, “But this time, I really can’t defend the reviews about The Acolyte. It feels like the series was made with a certain agenda in mind, and every new episode just leaves me more confused. It’s not really about the action or the acting it’s the storyline and how it fits (or doesn’t) into the universe that’s been built all these years.”
No Future for Qimir, Osha, or Plagueis—Just Fan Fiction Now
So that means anything more about The Stranger (aka Qimir), Osha, Mae, and even Darth Plagueis—who was tossed in at the end as a desperate move—will end up as nothing more than glorified fan fiction.
As a result of the failure of The Acolyte, Disney has slashed budgets and cut back on Star Wars content on Disney+. Ahsoka Season 2 is currently in the works, and it is rumored that it will also possibly be canceled after its second season.
